Coffee and Such

Monday, February 24, 2014

The Made in SG Market

The lions made their way down one Saturday afternoon to the National Design Centre at Middle Road for a one of a kind marketplace that featured local makers and the craftsmanship that goes into every product that is handcrafted for the discerning consumer. The two felines gained a greater appreciation of the time, patience, dedication and skill involved in actualising a well-made and well thought-out product right here in the Lion City. This goes against the grain of fast-paced, mass-produced consumerism so rampant in today's world that places an emphasis on the quickest possible way to produce a shoddy item in the cheapest manner. A maker quipped in a video about the seemingly insatiable need that people have to buy so many items when they just need one well-made product. And it's a good thing to support the aspirations of our local artisans, if not, who will?

The organisers bring together a curated list of participants
from varying fields.

to 3D-printed products. This one belonged more to the tech realm rather
than er the handcrafted category for us. But Tinkr brings an interesting and
sophisticated slant to the showcase.

The bot at the Tinkr booth that prints out customised designs such as fashion accessories and figurines in 3D. Material is limited
currently to plastic for this machine of the future.

The Gentlemen's Press at a live demonstration session of
the age-old letterpress technique that is seeing a resurgence.
Bespoke wedding invites or name cards, anyone?

Applying the ink carefully by hand. The intimate session
attracted quite a good number of interested folks that
cut across demographics. Parents with kids in tow,
the more respectable silver-haired onlooker and of course
the young hipsters were spotted.

Colourful Stickers.

Screening of short interviews featuring some of the
independent craftsmen.

Other live demos include 3D printing, leather-crafting,
ceramic and stamp making.